320  Examination  of  Commercial  Ginger.    {Am  jK^iSs?"11' 
cial  powdered  ginger,  as,  for  example,  samples  5,  6  and  7  in  Table 
6,  may  conform  to  the  official  standards,  and  yet  be  adulterated  or 
contain  exhausted  ginger,  or  on  the  other  hand  be  pure  and  yet 
vary  slightly  in  the  percentage  of  ash,  as  given  in  Tables  I,  4  and  5. 
The  comparatively  high  percentage  of  ash  in  Calcutta  ginger  may 
probably  be  accounted  for  by  the  larger  amount  of  cork  and  the 
number  of  sclerenchymatous  fibers  in  the  fibrovascular  bundles. 
That  this  is  true  is  also  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  percentage  of 
crude  fiber  in  Calcutta  ginger  is  higher  than  in  the  other  gingers 
examined  (Table  1).  While  the  analyses  of  Calcutta  and  African 
ginger,  as  given  in  Table  4,  do  not  strictly  bear  out  this  assumption, 
it  is  seen  that  in  the  case  of  African  ginger  there  is  a  ratio  between 
the  crude  fiber  and  total  ash,  i.  e.}  the  higher  the  percentage  of  crude 
fiber  the  higher  the  percentage  of  ash.  The  same  holds  with  Cochin 
ginger,  where  the  fibrovascular  bundles  are  large  and  numerous,  not- 
withstanding the  amount  of  cork  is  small.  In  the  case  of  Japan 
ginger,  the  rather  high  ash  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  it  is  a 
limed  ginger. 
From  the  observations  herein  recorded,  it  would  seem  that  there 
should  be  different  standards  for  ash  in  the  different  sorts.  In  other 
words,  it  would  probably  be  better  to  require  the  ash  in  Jamaica 
ginger  to  be  between  4  and  5  per  cent,  and  that  for  Calcutta  ginger 
to  be  between  7  and  8  per  cent.,  than  to  have  a  uniform  standard  of 
6  per  cent. 
In  forming  an  opinion  as  to  the  quality  of  powdered  or  ground 
commercial  ginger,  the  following  points  should  be  borne  in  mind: 
1.  The  powder  should  be  uniformly  granular  and  have  a  pro- 
nounced characteristic  aromatic  odor  and  a  characteristic  pungent 
taste. 
2.  On  treatment  with  sulphuric  acid,  the  particles  of  genuine 
ginger  become  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  which  changes  rapidly  to 
dark  brown  and  finally  to  purplish-brown. 
3.  With  phloroglucin  and  hydrochloric  acid,  few  or  none  of  the 
fragments  should  be  stained  a  cherry-red  color. 
4.  Of  the  official  standards,  those  for  the  total  ash  and  crude  fiber 
are  the  most  important.  The  latter  is  of  special  importance  if  the 
microscopic  examination  with  phloroglucin  shows  the  presence  of 
any  lignified  tissues. 
5.  The  volatile  ether  extract  should  not  be  less  than  3  per  cent. 
